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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 9 March 2019

In ‘Triple Frontier,’ a special-ops heist goes awry

By JAKE COYLE leap into genre. Bountiful
Associated Press in dudes, guns and action
Job opportunities seldom scenes, “Triple Frontier” is
diverge as greatly as they the kind of proudly macho
do for the former special movie that’s perhaps too
forces operatives of J.C. familiar to moviegoers —
Chandor’s “Triple Frontier.” though such a starry, big-
There is selling condos or budget thriller is more novel
taking contract work in an for Netflix.
African warzone. There’s “Triple Frontier” is both
stocking shelves at Walmart more and less than what
or taking down a South Af- it seems. The crew heads
rican drug lord. And you south to an unspecified
thought your LinkedIn pro- country in South America
file had inconsistencies. (the title refers to the junc-
Yet those are exactly the tion of Brazil, Argentina
kinds of choices facing a and Paraguay) where they
quartet of ex-military veter- plot, with the help of an
ans who are rounded up, insider (Adria Arjona), to
“Blues Brothers”-style, by take down a long-elusive
Santiago “Pope” Garcia drug lord named Lorea at
(Oscar Isaac), their former his jungle hideaway and
brother in arms who now make off with millions.
works for a mysterious com- This image released by Netflix, shows Oscar Isaac, left and Ben Affleck in a scene from the film, But “Triple Frontier” is only
pany contracted vaguely “Triple Frontier.” part heist movie. Its second
by “a foreign government.” Associated Press half, a militaristic riff on “The
With the promise of that Pascal) — with little trouble. been shot five times for ers and Boal is a co-writer Treasure of Sierra Madre,”
old temptation — “one Once at the pinnacle of your country and you can’t alongside Chandor. tailspins into a existential,
last job” — and the poten- their profession, they’re all pay off your truck.” That “Triple Frontier” origi- survivalist thriller about
tial for a major payday, struggling to adapt to civil- “Triple Frontier,” a Netflix re- nated from the team be- greed and combat addic-
Garcia gathers each old ian life. Davis is a divorced, lease playing in theaters for hind “The Hurt Locker” and tion. For many of the guys,
pal — Tom “Redfly” Davis heavy-drinking real estate a week before streaming, “Zero Dark Thirty” isn’t sur- especially Affleck’s Redfly,
(Ben Affleck), William “Iron- broker with little talent for was first scripted by Mark prising. It’s similarly attuned being drawn back into the
head” Miller (Charlie Hun- it. Miller is getting his face Boal with plans for Kath- to the under-rewarded field is like relapsing. Trigger
nam), Ben Miller (Garrett kicked in as a cage fighter. ryn Bigelow to direct. Both sacrifice of elite American fingers again get itchy, to
Hedlund) and Francisco “I say we deserve better,” remain executive produc- soldiers. But it’s also a larger tragic ends.q
“Catfish” Morales (Pedro Garcia tells Davis. “You’ve
Patty Griffin’s elegant songs are

deeply meditative

recently-revealed successful battle with
cancer and her dedication to besieged
causes like refugees and the environment,
it seems like a deliberate choice.
Recorded mostly in the Maine native’s
Austin, Texas, home studio with longtime
collaborator Craig Ross, “Patty Griffin”
varies seamlessly between American folk,
Celtic-rooted tunes, chansons and be-
yond with the excellence and elegance
Griffin’s songwriting has deservedly be-
come known for.
David Pulkingham’s Mediterranean-style
guitar phrases underpin opener “Mama’s
Worried,” one of several songs on the
13-track album that include seas, rivers
and oceans as symbols of strength, vast-
This image released by PGM Recordings shows ness and even justice. “River” may be
the self-titled album for Patty Griffin. about a woman who is “ever changing
Associated Press and undefined,” or it could be an ode to
By PABLO GORONDI an admired waterway with a will of its own.
Associated Press “Coins” is one of two tracks featuring Grif-
Patty Griffin, “Patty Griffin” (PGM/Thirty Ti- fin’s ex-beau Robert Plant, whose harmo-
gers) nies are endearingly subtle and support-
It’s taken Patty Griffin more than 20 years ive, with his contribution to “What Now” —
and nearly a dozen albums to issue a self- a yearningly-sketched song of uncertainty
titled release. There may be no particular with droning tones and Griffin’s mandolin-
reason for the designation, but consider- like guitar and riveting vocals — especially

ing its intensely meditative character, her translucent.q